Batteries Not Included
by Coke Cam
Summary: Dr. Maura Isles has always noticed the finer things in life, including Det. Jane Rizzoli the very first time they met. When Maura acts on her assumptions about her new friend, she discovers that Jane is interested, but not in casual sex, and that knowing your way around the bedroom doesn't mean you understand the human heart. (from a Tumblr discussion)


A/N: A note circulated on Tumblr which postulated that Maura would be a femme top extraordinaire. I don't disagree with that but I had an off-hand thought about it and posted:

"I have a theory that Before Rizzles sex would have been varied, adventurous and a fun physical outlet for Maura but just that, an exercise. The emotional connection with Jane would be overwhelming and unexpected for her which would set her back a pace. Realizing the enormous responsibility she has now, being entrusted with Jane's fragile heart, would make her both parts sober and tender. Once they had built mutual trust though and had a safe baseline to work from…whoa nelly, Jane, buckle your seatbelt, order espresso and buy some turtlenecks because you're gonna need 'em."

This story is my fictional exploration of that idea.

* * *

Maura Isles liked the finer things in life.

As such, she had noticed Jane Rizzoli immediately, the very moment they worked their first case together; it would have been impossible not to. The confident, in-charge attitude practically crackled across the room, as if the long legs and incredible bone structure hadn't caught her attention and refused to let go. Maura had spent an extra half hour at the scene just to surreptitiously observe and test the waters.

Every signal had said to jump right in.

Their chemistry was instant, the connection clear—they were headed for a sexual encounter of epic proportions. All Maura had to do was name the time and place. When they closed the case two days later, she had done just that: dinner at her house that night to celebrate. All Jane needed to bring was herself. Maura had nearly said that clothing was optional but had thought that much was obvious.

She hadn't worked with Jane long enough to know her habits and realize the detective had arrived in her very best outfit, the one she only wore for major court testimony, but she did compliment her and Jane's smile was radiant.

"Thanks," she said, nearly under her breath. "I know you said don't bring anything, but...here." She had held out a bouquet of flowers, yellow and pink roses, which took Maura off guard. She knew the symbolism for each color of rose but quickly dismissed the meaning—friendship and admiring love—as nothing the detective was likely to have understood or intended.

Dinner had gone well and according to plan as Maura refilled Jane's glass repeatedly until she was relaxed and they were laughing easily together. She had been a little surprised that Jane had remained so reserved, not responding to her subtle cues when she brushed Jane's foot with her own, squeezed her shoulder in passing or stared deeply into her eyes. But, Maura thought positively, discretion was a good quality. It was most likely a natural byproduct of her job when she worked with victims so that Jane wouldn't make a move unless she were absolutely certain.

That, she thought with contentment, was easy enough to arrange.

Following dessert and another glass of wine, they sat on the couch and Maura brought the topic around to work. She had heard excited talk all through the precinct about the confrontation that occurred when Jane and her partners had gone to make the arrest.

"Your back?" she said in concern. "Have you had it examined?"

"Nah, it's fine." Jane tried to dismiss Maura's concern but seemed secretly pleased. "I mean, it'll heal up in a week or so I guess."

Maura couldn't believe how perfect the opening was. "No, you might have an infection—you need to be checked immediately. Here, take your shirt off and let me see."

Jane seemed to hesitate for a moment which surprised Maura. She was being issued a clear invitation to start undressing, what could there be to think about? But after a moment Jane slipped out of the white silk blouse and turned around as instructed.

Maura took her responsibility as a doctor seriously and checked the scrape which was minimal at best, though she assured Jane that it looked like it must have hurt quite a lot at the time. Still, she was pleased to see it was nothing that would mean a change in the activities she had planned for them later. From what she had observed of Jane so far, she was counting on a physically vigorous and challenging encounter. Jane would most likely assume she was going to call the shots and Maura was happy to let her have that assumption for a while at least.

At first, she had been completely professional in how she touched Jane and maintained verbal contact with her, teasing her about some other scars which turned out to be childhood acquisitions. Her touch turned lighter though as she stroked across Jane's back with her fingertips. She felt small tremors moving through the detective's body and smiled to herself—this was nothing compared to what she expected for later, but it was a nice prelude. Gently she brushed against the clasp of Jane's bra strap, allowing one fingertip to slip beneath.

To her surprise, Jane pulled away, fumbling for her shirt and smiling awkwardly. "I-I know this is gonna sound lame, but I don't...I don't usually go this far on a first date."

Maura sat back carefully with her hands in her lap, trying to contain her surprise. It seemed she had been wrong in her assumption that Jane was something of a...what was the expression, a gamer? No, player. A player and a top. She reconsidered the concrete evidence she had. Jane had kept her hands to herself, brought flowers and called this a date—possibly she was thinking of more than just a casual night together.

"You're really pretty." Jane blurted it out, almost without thinking. "And I like you a lot, so...I'm sorry, I don't know if it's supposed to be different with women. I-I haven't...tell me about your turtle. What's his name again?" There was something almost desperate in her voice as if she were striving to prove that she wasn't rejecting Maura's advances in theory.

Maura, who had been prepared for the possibility of sex on the kitchen floor before dinner, wasn't sure what to do now that she was faced with a nervous, almost bashful detective who just might be a virgin when it came to women...was that even possible? She also couldn't ignore the unfamiliar and nearly overwhelming feeling of protectiveness that was coming over her. It must have taken a tremendous amount of courage for an outwardly confident detective like Jane Rizzoli to pull back like this. Maura knew from journal articles that a professional brotherhood, even one with female members, assigned status and respect according to sexual exploits. Jane didn't know her well enough to be sure that she wouldn't spread gossip among their co-workers which would lead to personal humiliation, ergo Jane must place tremendous value on emotional connection prior to copulation. That wasn't a step that Maura had ever found necessary personally, but she could respect anthropological differences in others.

Jane was staring at her now, one corner of her lip caught in her teeth and looking as if she might bolt for the door. Maura smiled, reassuring and calm, as she took Jane's hand in a way that was friendly but nothing more. "Of course," she said simply. "His name is Bass and he's a tortoise."

"Tortoise," Jane said to herself with determination. "Tortoise, right."

Maura stood, drawing Jane up with her and leading her back to the kitchen. "It's almost time to feed him—he likes British strawberries and I just got a new order. He'll take them right from your hand. He's very friendly; I'll show you."

The next day at work, Maura had been immersed in a toxicological analysis that was proving unusually tricky but rewarding. She was so immersed that she hadn't even heard the polite tap on the door but finally looked up at the repeated cough.

Jane Rizzoli was standing in the doorway with a cup of coffee in each hand. "I thought you might need it after last night."

Maura couldn't disagree. Her original plan would definitely have resulted in significant but pleasant post-coital exhaustion and she had even planned for that by not scheduling her first autopsy until 10 a.m. When her plans changed though, they had fed Bass together and wound up watching part of a nature documentary before discovering that Bass had somehow pushed through the fencing of his enclosure and was on the loose through the neighborhood, albeit very slowly. As a result she was still exhausted this morning but for unexpected reasons.

"Thank you," she said sincerely. Jane brought the cup over so she didn't have to stand which was just as well since her feet still ached from hurrying from house to house in three inch stilettos. It was Jane who had finally found him two streets over in the backyard of a family with two children. Their sandbox had a green plastic cover shaped like a turtle shell and Bass had decided to make his move.

_"What the hell?" Jane had gasped, torn between laughter and revulsion. "You can't just break 'em up!"_

_"He's imprinting," Maura replied as if it were perfectly logical. "If we let him continue, there's a chance he'll reject any other suitable mates in the future."_

_"What, now you're the turtle yenta? Were you planning on breeding him and doesn't he get a say in this?" Jane looked back to the family gathered on the patio and produced a badge from somewhere. "It's all right, Boston Police."_

_"I don't know," Maura admitted. "But I think he should have a choice and not have his desires be negatively impacted by shiny, plastic, fake mates who aren't even real."_

_Jane grinned. "So in other words, he's a guy."_

"I talked to the family," Jane said as she sat down in the chair across from Maura. "They're happy we got Bass home safe and the little girl wants a turtle now. I told her he was a tortoise."

Maura smiled her thanks as she sipped cautiously at the coffee. Detectives weren't noted for their discriminating palates and she preferred..."

"Jane, where did you get this?" she exclaimed.

"Uh, place off Belmont. Is it OK? I asked your tech what you drink and she wrote it down because, geez, I don't think there's any vowels in this." Jane had a Post It note in her hand, worrying at one edge of it with her long, slender fingers. Maura forced herself not to look at Jane's hands or think about what they might be capable of.

"Yrgacheffe," she pronounced carefully. "It's a kind of Ethiopian coffee, very floral and citrusy bouquet and very hard to...thank you, that was very kind of you."

Jane grinned and Maura didn't think she had ever seen anything more beautiful. "Cool. Well, I just wanted to drop that off and, um, see if you wanted to maybe go for coffee sometime, hang out and talk. Together."

Maura waited for the usual blank feeling that came over her whenever a colleague invited her to do something social that would involve conversation, the cool detachment that made it easier to keep to herself. It never came.

"I would love that, Jane."

That had been just over a month ago.

Maura had assumed that following that first night Jane would prefer to keep her at a polite distance and be more comfortable simply forgetting the whole thing had ever happened. She had been wrong. Jane wanted very much to spend time with her, to do things that took Maura out of her usual shell, and to see each other in some way nearly every day. If they didn't spend time together on a case, Jane would still make a point to meet up for lunch or drinks or just call to ask how her day was. Maura had never talked this much with anyone—colleague, lover, family member—and wondered now if she had shortchanged herself in her relationships or if any of them had been good matches at all.

It wasn't all conversation though. Jane had taken her to the batting cages (an enlightening if terrifying experience as the balls had flown straight at her), walking on the Boston Common where Jane had taken her hand for the first time as more than friends, and to the science museum where Jane had been much more interested in the IMAX theater than the exhibits but how could she complain? Sitting in the dark, she had slipped her hand onto Jane's knee but nothing more and then felt the detective's arm settle around her and a sense of peace she had never known she was missing enveloped her like a blanket. By the time the credits began, she realized she would need to rent the documentary and watch at home because she had missed the last thirty minutes thanks to Jane's sudden interest in kissing her neck which led to ears, lips, eyelids, temples and everything else above the collar. Clearly she was going to need to buy some shirts with lower necklines.

In the evenings, Jane served as prep chef for some of Maura's more elaborate recipes that she hadn't had an excuse to make for anyone in years. One night she brought over two large bundles of carrots and proceeded to shred them into a small orange haystack for Bass because she had read online that his particular species liked bright colors and were especially attracted to yams and carrots. Jane was willing to try any wine that Maura paired with dinner but couldn't hide her relief when Maura produced her favorite beer and from that night on the refrigerator was never without a six pack.

One night after dinner Jane remarked skeptically on how Maura managed to stay on her feet in heels all day. Maura confessed that her feet were actually aching after two back to back autopsies when she had been scheduled only for court. In the past that kind of remark might have been a coy invitation, but Jane was so direct, so forthright and earnest, that this kind of thinking was becoming alien to Maura. Her heart jumped, sudden and unexpected, when she felt Jane gently lift her feet up into her lap and ease her shoes off. As those long, slender and, as it turned out, very strong fingers began to massage her feet, Maura's eyes fluttered closed and her head sank back on the arm of the couch.

"Don't fall asleep on me," Jane chuckled. One thumb was working into the knot that had formed high on her right arch.

Sleep, however, was the last thing on Maura's mind. She had read somewhere that cold showers were good for the complexion, in which case she thought she should be looking spectacular.

Mercifully, later that week Jane had mentioned another work injury that needed inspecting and her shirt was half-off before Maura could finish asking to see the injury. That night they hadn't stopped until Maura's shirt also was carefully folded over the back of the couch. No one had ever touched her with such tenderness before and it had been difficult for Maura to keep the tone light, a little friendly anatomy lesson she had teased Jane.

She was falling and falling hard.

Two nights later Jane had accidentally worked herself into a surprisingly powerful orgasm as they made out together and then spent the next 10 minutes apologizing in horror for what she called "using Maura's leg without permission" while Maura bit back giggles. She couldn't remember the last time she had laughed so much, much less giggled, not before she met Jane.

"I'm sorry," Jane had groaned for the eighth time as she buried her face in a throw pillow. "It just doesn't usually happen that fast."

"Good," Maura had whispered into her ear as she pulled her close. "Just imagine what it'll be like when we really _are_ trying."

Two nights after that, there had been no apologizing from either of them as they made love on every available inch of Maura's bed. She had always prided herself on being a desirable and more than capable partner but now she understood how competitive and disconnected all her encounters had been, without any emotional grounding. The end goals were the same, but now it was the journey that meant everything as kisses deepened, touch turned intimate, words dropped away and every wall came down. When Maura cradled Jane in the palm of her hand as the detective moaned her name, she felt an overwhelming wave of tenderness, love and protectiveness more satisfying than any previous encounter no matter how experienced the partner.

And when Jane touched her, so sweetly and with such devotion, any initial hesitation vanished as Maura eagerly responded until Jane's confidence suddenly blossomed and Maura was lost to her wordless urging. It wasn't as if she had never done this before, all this and far more, never been touched and held this way, but no one had ever come close to touching her heart before. No one else had stayed.

Lying in Jane's arms, she had whispered _I love you_ even before she knew that was what she felt, but as the words passed her lips for the first time, she knew it was true, just as she had known how Jane felt even before the words were returned.

She had woken to find her kitchen an utter disaster as Jane had crept out of bed to surprise her with pancakes and not been able to find any milk, flour or syrup.

"Are you even human?" she had grumbled. "Who the hell doesn't own flour?"

"White flour only uses the endosperm."

"I hope that's not what it sounds like."

Unable to stop smiling at Jane's frustration, Maura slipped her arms around the detective. "Let's just have breakfast in bed."

"That's what I was trying to do," Jane muttered. "Now it's messed up. We can't even have cereal because you don't have any milk. What can we eat?"

"Oh, I have an idea." She put her fingers to Jane's lips, stifling the surprised but not unhappy outburst. "Trust me, come back to bed, then I'll take you out for all the pancakes you want."

That had been a full week ago, a week in which very little had happened at work for either of them which was just as well because neither was able to take her mind off the other. Maura had been afraid someone would notice the glances, smiles and furtive texts, and she was right but not as she had thought. When Frankie Rizzoli came to her office, she expected him to have a request for a lab test, but instead he told her without any hesitation that he'd never seen his sister happier and he knew why.

"I mean, we all _knew_," he said with a shrug for emphasis. "But good luck getting Janie to talk about something she doesn't want to."

Maura weighed her options. She had no idea what she could say without compromising Jane and realized how very much Jane's happiness had come to matter to her in just a few short weeks. Finally she said, "Your sister is a wonderfully dedicated, intelligent, compassionate and devoted person, both as a woman and as a law enforcement officer. I'm very fortunate to know her."

"See, that's what she says about you." Frankie settled his patrol had back on, signaling that he'd said what he needed to. "When you get invited over for dinner next week don't be surprised if Ma corners you about your intentions, OK? She's about to bust at the seams."

Instead of mentioning the impending invitation immediately to Jane, Maura suggested they spend a long weekend together at her house. They would have time to talk then and let their new physical connection strengthen so it could withstand a public announcement to the well intentioned Rizzoli clan. She might not have wanted to live with anyone before, but that was obviously where this was headed and she couldn't be happier. Jane already had a side of the bed they referred to as 'hers' and Jo Friday's introduction to Bass had gone well. Was half the closet far behind?

Jane had arrived with her gym bag, which Maura refrained from commenting on, and began neatly putting her things away in the bathroom and then nightstand.

"Huh...that's weird."

Maura looked up to see Jane holding a pair of handcuffs with a quizzical expression. "I thought I left my gear locked in the trunk."

Maura rounded the corner of the bed and brushed her nose with a light kiss. "Maybe we should get some labels," she teased. She slipped them out of Jane's hand and tucked them into a drawer on her side of the bed. "Yours, mine and ours?"

"Those...oh, those are..." Jane's eyebrows shot up. "Wow, I had no idea."

Maura came to sit back on the edge of the bed, urging Jane to sit next to her. It seemed odd to her now that she had thought they would have this conversation the very first night. It had seemed like all there was in the world to her at the time, but it seemed so insignificant compared to what Jane had shared with her since then.

"I've never concealed anything from you, but it didn't feel appropriate to bring anything up before now. For me, relationships were always...well, they weren't relationships really. They were like fun exercises, physical and nothing more. It wasn't until I met you that I understood how much was missing between the lines. It was as if suddenly all the color filled in and I realized I hadn't seen anything at all before, not before you."

Jane's eyes were wide and she nodded her understanding. "That's kinda what I was going to say except...coherent."

Maura smiled, taking Jane's hand in hers. "Now we know each other, in every sense of the word, but there's always going to be something new to discover too, at least I hope so because I want to know you for a very, very long time, Jane Rizzoli."

_Me too, _Jane mouthed silently. Her thumb rested on the back of Maura's hand, gently rubbing the soft skin between her knuckles.

"So you know me a little better now and what you just found is something like the moment when you're sitting in your favorite restaurant and you realize that all this time you've only been looking at the front of the menu. If you turn it over," she tilted her eyes towards the open nightstand drawer, "there's a whole world of choices you didn't know you had. Or you can keep ordering the same thing you know you love and you'll still be just as happy. I'm the same person I always have been, but since we have all weekend..." She kissed Jane's half-open mouth. "Is there anything you think you'd like to special order?"

Jane straightened slightly to peer over Maura's shoulder and down into the open drawer. Her lips pressed together and her eyes widened. "Mmm hmm...couple things, yep, but I think I need to Google the rest of it."

Maura stifled another giggle, her third that week, as Jane's arms slid around her. "Don't worry," she whispered between kisses. "I can explain it all."

"Oh, I know you can." Jane laughed as she pulled Maura back onto the bed. "Explanations, instructions, suggestions, ideas, orders..." She propped herself up on her elbows, gazing down at Maura with an expression of pure love and adoration. "OK, what first?"

Maura smiled and blissfully relinquished control forever. "Surprise me."

The End


End file.
